the joy of strength training

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Are you fit to train?

» by March 7th, 2011 at 11:01 pm » Comments (7)

Strength athletes often underestimate the importance of being ‘fit to train’. Here are the essential warning signs that you may need to improve your training fitness.



What is functional fitness?

» by May 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm » Comments (38)

 Many people including myself and many readers of this site would say we do ‘functional fitness’. We use the phrase almost without thinking, but most people have never heard of it and it must sound very odd. This thought struck me as I was watching a climbing film, Alistair Lee’s Onsight where one interviewee comments that […]



Improve weaknesses with unilateral exercises

» by October 16th, 2008 at 11:09 pm » Comments (12)

Unilateral exercises are, quite simply, exercises done on one side only, such as single leg squats or one arm dumbbell presses. Most exercises that you do in the gym have a single-side option. Why do unilateral exercises? Many of the best functional strength and conditioning coaches advocate unilateral work: “Most athletes and people in general […]



Other strength websites (1)

» by January 12th, 2008 at 4:03 am » Comments (4)

People often go on about how much crap there is on the internet, especially when it comes to strength training. But amongst all the rubbish are some real gems, and I will be highlighting my favourite sites on here from time to time. To start with, here are five sites you’ll love if you have […]



Bodyweight or bust!

» by December 2nd, 2007 at 6:51 pm » Comments (24)

There is a wide range of strength exercises you can do using only your own bodyweight and whatever walls, railings, stairs you have to hand.



How-to: One-arm dumbbell swing

» by November 29th, 2007 at 1:11 am » Comments (13)

Explosive strength is often neglected in the gym. If you think dumbells are only good for arm and shoulder exercises, think again. The swing is superb for leg strength and hip extension. Do something different in the gym today! What is the dumbbell swing? The dumbbell swing is an ‘old school’ exercise. It is similar […]



How-to: One-arm dumbbell snatch

» by November 24th, 2007 at 3:36 am » Comments (53)

Learn the one-arm dumbbell snatch to develop explosive power and speed. Step-by-step instructions, photos and videos.



Do your workouts scare you?

» by November 10th, 2007 at 5:05 pm » Comments (3)

Mine do! I was thinking about this today as I was on my way to the gym to make another attempt on Ross Training’s 100 burpee challenge (that’s burpees with press-ups, of course). I know that it’s going to hurt, I know that it’s going to make me feel nauseous and I know that it’s […]



Types of strength

» by November 10th, 2007 at 12:14 am » Comments (10)

If you are after all-round strength, it’s important to understand the different types of strength – or even that there are different types of strength. It will help you to pin down what kind of training you need to do to reach your goals. It will also help you to cut through the crap when […]